Night Tide (51 page)

splattered! the! windshield! with! loud! plops,! and! the! crowns! of!

the! big! firs! lining! the! narrow! lane! dipped! and! swayed! in! the!

intensifying! breeze.! An! ominous! black! sky,! darker! than! night,!

replaced!the!twilight!from!earlier.!

!

Reyna!pointed!right!when!we!reached!the!road.!I!cranked!

the! wheel! and! headed! that! direction.! We! hadn’t! gone! more!

than! a! few! hundred! yards! when! the! car’s! interior! lit! up! with!

alternating!flashes!of!blue!and!red.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

335&

!

!

Chapter&48&

!

!

The!front!moved!in!quickly,!a!high!line!of!maleficent!black!

clouds!soaring!in!over!the!coast!and!blotting!out!the!lowering!

sun,! bringing! night! on! early.! A! stiff! wind! barreled! down! the!

Strait! of! Juan! de! Fuca! ahead! of! the! rain,! channeled! by! the!

Olympics!on!one!side!and!the!Vancouver!Island!Ranges!on!the!

other.! The! temperature! had! dropped! twenty! degrees! in! a!

matter! of! minutes,! and! the! mercury! was! still! falling! slowly.!

Langford!zipped!the!windbreaker!tight!up!under!his!chin!and!

wished! he’d! brought! a! rain! slicker! instead.! The! jacket! would!

repel! a! light! drizzle,! but! a! hard! rain! would! soak! through!

quickly.!Too!late!to!worry!about!it!now,!he!shrugged!and!raised!

the!field!glasses!again.!

!

A! security! guard! had! patrolled! the! complex! every! half6

hour! during! the! workday,! but! the! patrols! had! come! more!

infrequently! since! early! evening,! about! once! an! hour.! Guards!

on!the!later!shift!also!seemed!more!lax,!less!punctual.!After!the!

parking!lots!had!emptied!at!the!end!of!the!day,!the!campus!had!

seen! little! activity.! A! few! employees! had! straggled! out! of! the!

windowless! building! after! hours,! likely! working! late! on!

projects,!and!more!had!left!the!office!building!even!later.!The!

only! sign! of! life! in! the! house! had! been! the! illumination! of! a!

couple! of! ground! floor! windows! when! the! sky! had! darkened!

with!clouds.!!

!

Now!nearly!ten,!his!attention!was!drawn!back!to!the!house!

as! floodlights! blazed! suddenly,! bathing! the! parking! area! in!

light.! Through! the! lenses! he! watched! two! men! escort! Baines!

out!the!front!door.!Langford!recognized!them,!both!dressed!in!

black! slacks! and! windbreakers,! as! the! driver! and! bodyguard!

who! had! accompanied! Baines! earlier.! The! driver! opened! an!

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umbrella! and! held! it! up,! but! Baines! ignored! him! and! walked!

straight!to!the!waiting!SUV.!The!driver!hurried!to!catch!up!and!

open! the! passenger! door.! While! he! rounded! the! front! of! the!

vehicle,!the!other!man!stood!by!the!open!back!door!and!turned!

a!full!circle,!scanning!the!area!before!getting!in.!!

!

Langford!watched!for!several!minutes!after!the!SUV!drove!

off,! but! no! one! else! emerged.! Lights! brightened! two! more!

ground! floor! windows,! and! Langford! saw! shadows! pass! in!

front!of!them!several!times.!Thirty!minutes!later,!two!different!

men!emerged!from!the!house,!both!in!black!fatigues.!Hunching!

their! shoulders! and! leaning! into! the! wind,! they! jogged! across!

the!open!space!to!the!office!building.!The!exterior!lights!on!the!

house! blinked! off.! One! by! one,! the! lights! inside! were!

extinguished,! too,! leaving! it! dark.! Moments! later,! a! lone!

upstairs!window!glowed.!!

!

Water! trickled! off! Langford’s! hair! down! the! back! of! his!

neck!sending!a!shiver!down!his!spine.!The!light!rain!had!even!

penetrated!the!shelter!of!the!trees,!soaking!leaves,!needles!and!

branches! until! they! dripped! as! steadily! as! the! gray! clouds!

scudding! across! the! night! sky.! He! checked! the! rest! of! the!

compound! for! activity,! slowly! scanning! the! grounds,! then!

returned!his!attention!to!the!house.!!

!

Nearly! an! hour! later,! the! upstairs! window! finally! went!

dark.! Langford! cupped! a! hand! around! his! watch! and! briefly!

illuminated! the! dial.! About! forty! minutes! until! a! patrol! if! the!

security!team!was!on!time.!He!still!didn’t!know!for!sure!if!the!

Wilsons!were!being!held!in!the!house.!Which!meant!he!had!to!

risk! getting! inside! to! find! out.! After! all! those! years! in! prison!

and!coming!this!close,!he!wasn’t!about!to!quit!now.!At!least!by!

the! time! another! patrol! made! the! rounds,! whoever! was! still!

inside!should!be!asleep.!He!considered!returning!to!the!empty!

rental! behind! him! to! dry! out,! but! couldn’t! chance! someone!

seeing! him.! Instead,! he! squatted! and! took! the! thermos! out! of!

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the! backpack,! drank! what! was! left! of! the! coffee! and! leaned!

back!against!a!tree!trunk!to!wait.!!

!

Before!the!guard!on!the!next!patrol!had!even!entered!the!

office! building! after! his! rounds! Langford! was! on! his! feet! and!

running! across! the! dark! field,! backpack! snugged! tight.! The!

open! space! worried! him,! but! he! crouched! low! and! hoped! the!

rain!and!darkness!would!provide!enough!cover.!He!thought!it!

through!one!more!time!even!as!his!eyes!darted!from!one!side!

of! the! compound! to! the! other! searching! for! movement,! ears!

alert!to!the!sounds!of!alarm.!

!

He’d!seen!no!one!else!enter!or!leave!the!Victorian!house,!

which!made!him!believe!Keely!was!the!only!person!remaining,!

asleep!upstairs.!Since!no!lights!had!been!on!earlier,!he!had!to!

assume! the! Wilsons,! if! they! were! on! the! premises,! were!

confined!in!a!basement!or!subfloor.!Despite!the!firepower!he’d!

brought,! he! didn’t! intend! any! heroics.! All! he! had! to! do! was!

confirm!that!the!Wilsons!were!there.!He!didn’t!need!to!rescue!

them.! Indeed,! the! idiots! deserved! whatever! lay! in! store! for!

them.!He!just!needed!to!get!in!long!enough!to!find!them,!then!

make!the!call.!!

!

He! moved! to! his! left,! keeping! the! dark! house! between!

himself! and! the! office! building.! He! sprinted! the! last! hundred!

yards,! pulling! up! against! the! side! of! the! house,! breathing!

heavily.! When! he! could! hear! over! the! pounding! of! his!

heartbeat,! he! listened! carefully! for! sounds! other! than! the!

steady!patter!of!the!rain!or!the!wind’s!loud!conversation!with!

the!few!nearby!trees.!He!heard!nothing!that!wasn’t!imaginary,!

and! ignored! everything! that! was.! Quickly,! he! made! his! way!

from! window! to! window,! applying! pressure! to! each,! looking!

for!something!unlocked,!an!easy!way!in.!

!

He!poked!his!head!around!the!corner!of!the!house,!quickly!

taking!stock!before!ducking!back!out!of!sight.!The!parking!area!

and! front! porch! remained! dark! and! deserted.! Retracing! his!

steps,! he! followed! the! wall! to! the! back! of! the! house,! and!

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repeated!the!maneuver.!It,!too,!was!dark!and!devoid!of!life,!but!

within! sight! of! the! office! building.! Steps! led! up! to! a! screened!

porch.! Pressing! himself! into! the! shadows,! he! slipped! around!

the! corner! and! up! the! stairs,! crouching! low.! At! the! top,! he!

eased! the! screen! door! open! and! silently! stole! through! the!

narrow!crack.!The!inner!door!was!locked,!no!surprise.!But!the!

top!half!was!mullioned!glass.!

!

Hastily,!he!removed!his!backpack!and!stripped!off!the!wet!

windbreaker.! He! wrapped! it! around! his! arm,! braced! his!

padded! elbow! against! the! pane! nearest! the! doorknob,! and!

made! a! fist.! With! his! other! hand! he! delivered! a! swift! open6

handed! blow! to! the! back! of! his! clenched! fingers.! His! elbow!

shattered!the!glass!with!a!muffled!crack!and!a!tinkle!as!shards!

hit! the! wood! floor! inside.! Langford! sucked! in! a! breath! and!

waited,! listening! intently.! When! no! warnings! sounded,! he!

carefully! reached! in! and! turned! the! knob.! Only! when! he!

stepped!inside!and!turned!to!shut!the!door!behind!him!did!he!

notice! the! blinking! red! light! above! the! screen! door! on! the!

porch.!!

!

As!soon!as!he!saw!it!he!realized!he’d!just!made!the!second!

biggest!mistake!of!his!life.! !

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

339&

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!

Chapter&49
&

!

!

“Damn!it!!I!
knew
!it!”!I!slammed!the!steering!wheel.!“Son!of!

a!bitch!was!waiting!for!us!”!!

!

Reyna!slumped!in!her!seat!as!if!shrinking!from!my!anger.!I!

glanced! at! the! flashing! lights! in! the! mirror.! For! a! moment,! I!

considered!pressing!my!foot!to!the!floor.!

!

As! if! reading! my! mind! she! said,! “No! way! you! can! outrun!

him.”!

!

She! twisted! and! peered! between! the! seats! out! the! back!

window.! Facing! front! again,! she! drew! her! HK! semi6automatic!

and!checked!the!slide.!

!

“Where’s!the!rheostat?”!she!said.!!

!

“The!what?”!

!

“The!dimmer!for!the!dashboard!lights!!Come!on,!civvy,!find!

it!!Turn!it!off.”!

!

I! scanned! the! dash! again,! found! the! little! wheel! and!

thumbed!it!down!until!it!clicked.!

!

“Good,! now! put! on! your! blinker.! Let! him! know! you! see!

him,!but!don’t!pull!over!yet.!If!he!approaches!this!as!a!high6risk!

stop!he’ll!draw!his!weapon!and!order!you!out!of!the!car.”!

!

“A!high6risk!stop?!What’s—”!

!

“Are!you!listening!to!me?!If!he!treats!it!as!a!routine!traffic!

stop!just!keep!your!hands!on!the!wheel,”!she!said.!“Either!way,!

do!what!he!says,!but!when!I!tell!you,!drive!like!hell.”!

!

“What!are!you—”!

!

“Blake!!Just!do!what!I!tell!you,!okay?”!!

!

The!worry!in!her!tone!didn’t!mollify!me,!but!I!angled!the!

hood! of! the! car! toward! the! shoulder,! letting! the! car! roll! to! a!

stop.! The! cop! followed! and! stopped! thirty! feet! behind! me,!

aimed!a!hundred!sixty!thousand!candlepower!searchlight!into!

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the! back! of! the! car,! and! sat! there.! Reyna! slumped! lower,!

making!herself!even!smaller!than!the!petite!size!she!wore.!

!

“He’s!running!the!plates,”!Reyna!murmured.!“Keep!an!eye!

on!the!rearview!mirror.!If!he!approaches!the!car,!let!me!know!

when!he!steps!into!your!blind!spot.”!

!

I!gripped!the!wheel!to!counteract!an!impulse!to!wipe!my!

sweaty!palms!on!my!pants.!

!

“Here!he!comes.”!

!

“Okay,!don’t!look!at!me.”!Her!voice!was!barely!audible!over!

the!ratamacues!of!rain!on!the!roof.!“I!don’t!want!him!to!know!

someone’s! in! the! car! with! you.! Whatever! happens,! keep!

watching!him.!Don’t!take!your!eyes!off!him.!Where!is!he?”!

!

“Fifteen!feet,!closing!fast,”!I!whispered.!“In!my!blind!spot!in!

three,!two,!one,!now!”!

!

A!muffled!click!accompanied!a!huff!of!cool!air!through!the!

car!and!a!momentary!increase!in!volume!of!the!sounds!of!the!

building!storm.!I!shifted!my!gaze!to!the!side!view!mirror!and!

watched! the! cop’s! measured! approach! alongside! the! car.! Just!

as! he! reached! my! door,! three! loud! fast! explosions—
blam!*

blam!*blam!
—jerked!the!cop’s!head!up!and!nearly!jolted!me!out!

of!my!skin.!My!head!automatically!turned!toward!the!sounds.!

Watch*him!*Focus!
!

!

I!yanked!my!gaze!back!to!the!cop,!saw!his!hand!at!eye6level!

grasp! the! butt! of! his! pistol! and! draw! it! out! of! his! holster! in!

slow6motion.!Instinct!screamed!at!me!to!stop!him,!prevent!his!

hand! from! drawing! the! weapon! out! any! further.! A! barrier! of!

glass!and!steel!stood!between!us.!Without!thinking,!I!pulled!the!

door!handle!and!threw!my!weight!at!the!door.!It!slammed!into!

the!cop,!knocking!him!backward.!He!staggered!and!fell.!

!

“Go!”!Reyna!screamed.!“Drive!”!

!

I!pulled!myself!back!up!behind!the!wheel!and!yanked!the!

gearshift! into! Drive.! Reyna! dove! into! the! passenger! seat! and!

slammed!the!door.!Wheels!spitting!gravel,!the!little!car!spurted!

ahead.!I!steered!it!onto!pavement!where!the!tires!got!a!better!

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purchase,! launching! us! down! the! road! as! if! flung! out! of! a!

slingshot.!The!rear!window!suddenly!crazed!with!a!small!pop,!

the! louder! crack! of! a! gun! registering! an! instant! later.! With! a!

kneejerk! reaction,! I! jogged! the! wheel! savagely.! Two! more!

cracks!sounded,!more!distant!this!time.!

!

“Shit!!Reyna?”!

!

“I’m! not! shooting! back,”! she! yelled.! “Just! keep! your! head!

down!and!your!foot!to!the!floor.”!

!

“What!the!hell!did!you!do?”!!

!

“Shot! out! his! tires! and! put! one! in! his! radiator! for! good!